Love at Second Sight
by theauthorthatwrites
Summary: Harry loves Hermione, but will she discover the desire of her own heart before it's too late? Please read and review! Chapter 7 Finally Up! R/R!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I'm just borrowing them to have some fun.

Her eyes were beautiful. If only he could hold her. Hug her. Kiss her… Slowly it was made clear to Harry that he was staring at Hermione obviously, and she returned his stare, albeit confused. Slowly, carefully, she asked him, "Is there something wrong? Something on my face?"

"No!" said Harry far too quickly.

Harry and Hermione were in their sixth year now, and things were bad. The war with Voldemort was going poorly. Ron and his family were all dead. They were among the first that Voldemort personally killed. However, the first was none other than Harry's relatives, the Dursleys. Although it wasn't entirely a bad thing, Harry actually did cry for them. After all, they didn't do anything _that_ bad to Harry. But, on the bright side, at least he didn't have to live there anymore.

However, all was not lost. Peter Pettigrew, a.k.a. Wormtail, turned himself in on account of that he couldn't bring himself to be entirely evil. Or at least that was what he said. He fully admitted all of his sins, and Sirius was given a full pardon. Sirius however, was an active fighter against Voldemort, along with Dumbledore. They currently had to be in hiding over the summer, so as not to be caught unaware by Voldemort, the way the Weasleys had been.

Harry was now staying with the Grangers since he had nowhere else to go, and they were muggles. Therefore, Voldemort wouldn't easily find them. They had a month left before going back to Hogwarts. A very long month for Harry.

"Hermione, where are your parents? I haven't seen them this morning." asked Harry nonchalantly.

"Oh, they went to the store to pick up some more food. They should be back in an hour or two." replied Hermione.

"Just great," Harry thought, "they left me alone with the most beautiful girl in the world. All of the possibilities… NO! Hermione is my friend. I shouldn't think about her like that. And besides, I don't know if she even likes me. Likes me? She already likes me. I want her to _love_ me…"

"Harry, is something the matter? You seem all tense and you're looking like you're anxious about something."

"Huh? Oh, no. Nothing is wrong. I'm just a little tired. And stressed." said Harry, who was thinking that something was wrong, considering that Hermione wasn't in his arms.

Harry rose, and quickly went up the stairs to the Grangers guest room. He opened the door and entered. Slowly, not looking back, he shut the door most of the way. He left it open a crack in case something were to happen. It was a little nuance of his since Ron's death. He died asleep.

Harry walked to his bed and flopped down onto it. Just then he heard the telephone downstairs. He heard Hermione walk to it and apparently she picked it up, because it stopped ringing. After a while, he heard her put it back. And then, quite suddenly, he heard her scream like a wounded animal. She ran up the stairs and barged into her room where she started sobbing uncontrollably. Quickly, Harry got up and went to her room. The door was slightly ajar, so he pushed it all the way open and gazed at Hermione on her bed. All thoughts of passion were wiped from his mind as he saw her crying. Her pain was his pain.

"Oh Harry," cried Hermione, who now noticed him, "my grandfather in Majorca has just had a heart attack. He is at a hospital there. They don't know if he'll make it. My parents are going to come home, then head to the airport."

Harry, who was in shock from all her news, decided to tackle the smaller news first, "How are they going to get tickets so quickly? Usually you buy them in advance."

"They said that they called there first and that the next flight to Majorca had two available openings, so they immediately bought them. However, it is scheduled to leave so soon, they will only leave a note telling us to basically behave. They will drop the groceries off on the doorstep. They'll ring the doorbell and then immediately leave. The worst part is that we can't even go! There was only two available seats."

At just that particular time, the doorbell rang. They both left Hermione's room, Hermione still crying, Harry feeling sympathetic. They went downstairs, opened the door, and brought in the groceries and note on the door. It said all of the things parents usually say to two teenagers that are best friends, such as, "behave yourself", "act responsible", etc. It said that they would be gone for eight days and that when they came back, the house better still be in good order.

Harry and Hermione silently filed into the kitchen and put away all of the groceries in their proper places. When Harry's stomach rumbled however, the silence broke. Harry grinned and Hermione giggled through the tears. Together they made dinner, which they ate quickly. They washed their dishes and went into the main room. Together they watched a romantic movie where a woman doesn't realize she loves a man until almost too late. But, as with any good romantic story, they ended up together in the end with a slightly steamy scene. Harry looked at Hermione during the scene and was slightly turned on. She never noticed since she was so engrossed in the movie. They started the evening on opposite ends of the couch, but the more romantic the movie became, the closer they became. By the time they reached the love scene, they were nearly pressed up against each other.

When Hermione noticed that they were very close to each other, she blushed a little and snuggled up next to his arm. She knew she should be studying for the next year at Hogwarts, but this felt so…_natural_ that she didn't want it to end. When Hermione faded away into sleep, she was in Harry's arms as he gazed at her longingly. "It's sort of ironic," said Harry quietly, so that Hermione couldn't hear him, "why does this remind me of the muggle saying 'look but don't touch'?" At that, he broke into tears and cried himself to sleep, for the love he had. He cared too much for her to take advantage of her, but at the same time he wanted to love her so much.

*****Next Morning*****

Hermione woke with a start. What was she doing in the arms of her best friend? "But he's so comfortable," she thought. She felt something wet caress her cheek, when she realized what it was that had woke her. Harry was crying in his sleep. A single tear had found its way to her cheek. "Harry! Wake up." she said in his ear rather quietly.

Harry's eye fluttered for a minute, and that was when realization hit Hermione. He already was awake. But then why was he crying? "Harry, are you okay? Why are you crying?"

At this, Harry's eye opened, bright and clear. His bright emerald green eye just gazed at Hermione before another tear squeezed its way out. Finally Harry replied, "Yeah. I'm fine. It's just…well, it's not important." As he said this, he realized that he was lying. It was important. He loved Hermione and he knew that it would either bring them closer than imaginable, or would break them both. It was too great a risk. He loved her too much to risk not being with her. He wouldn't say anything and they would stay together, as friends. Only as friends.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry and Hermione both thought it was a bit unusual that they should get to spend the weekend together, but they made the most of it. They didn't leave the house, but they found ways to entertain themselves. It turned out that Hermione wasn't too interested in homework, since she already completed all of it (not to mention that she had read all of her books). 

And then there was the pool. It turned out that Hermione's parents were rather successful in dentistry, and they had money to show for it. So naturally, for summertime use, they had a pool built in. It was 10 feet deep and one end, while at the other end it came up to Harry's chest (which was pretty deep considering that he was six feet tall). The first day they decided to use the pool, Harry was extremely embarrassed. He was scared that she would turn him on a little too much for comfort, and in his swimming trunks, it was very noticeable. So, naturally, that was what happened.

Harry was on the edge of the pool contemplating on what would be less shocking: going slow, or just jumping in. Little did he notice that Hermione had sneaked behind him. With a quick playful shove, he flopped in unceremoniously. Eager for a little revenge, he quickly swam to the edge, and while she was busy laughing, jumped up and seized her waist. He threw her into the water so suddenly that when he grabbed her, she was still thinking how funny it was when he went in. Realization that she was being thrown in hit her like a ton of bricks. She swam underneath the water to the middle of the pool, where it was about seven feet deep. There she waited while Harry swam slowly toward her.

Harry was finding swimming to be fun, but very difficult. He had never swum before, besides the ordeal with the second challenge at the Triwizard cup. Even then though, he had had eaten gillyweed, which allowed the user to breathe underwater. Now, his inexperience showed.

"Hermione, I'm going to get you!" said Harry as evilly as he could.

When he finally reached the middle of the pool with Hermione, he discovered her trap. It wasn't too deep, so they couldn't drown easily. So Hermione dunked Harry underneath the water, which wasn't what Harry was expecting. He reached up and grabbed her about her waist. He pulled and she slid under with him.

While underneath, for barely a moment, Harry couldn't resist. He looked into her eyes. He saw not only her beautiful eyes, but all of the emotions she felt; which consisted of mainly mischief. She gave him a brief smile as they both broke the surface of the water. They were both gasping for breath when Harry came in closer. Suspecting foul play, she watched his every move, and she felt an aura around Harry. Not like the aura that Dumbledore had, which radiated trust and confidence, but an aura that conveyed love.

Slowly he slid his arms around her neck and came in close. She suspected that he was going to drive both of them under the water, but instead, when she closed her eyes, she felt something up against her lips. Her eyes opened and she realized that Harry was kissing her! She stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into the kiss. It was like a special magic that made her feel wonderful. When they broke, Harry and Hermione gazed deeply into each other's eyes, and saw different things.

In Harry's eyes, Hermione saw love, lust, and passion. He wanted her and she knew it. However, in Hermione's eyes, Harry did not see what he hoped to see. Her eyes only said that it was a kiss among friends, and nothing more. They said that she was not ready to recognize her love for him, if indeed she did.

"Harry," said Hermione in a rather shaky voice, as though she had just had the most shocking experience in her life, "Harry, what was that?"

"Hermione…" and that was when Harry realized for sure what he had hoped against all the way through the kiss. She didn't love him. "I have to go. Now."

Harry quickly suited word to action, and swam to the edge of the pool. He lifted himself out and started toward the sliding glass door to the Granger's light blue house. About halfway there, Hermione threw herself in front of Harry. She stood there for a moment and then noticed why Harry was intensely staring at her while his face went through all of the shades of red. In their horseplay, Hermione had accidentally lost her bikini top. In the water, neither of them noticed since they couldn't feel or see the difference through the water.

Harry just stared there while Hermione was looking at her breasts in shock. Looking farther down however, she noticed that Harry was more-than-slightly aroused by her cavorting. She withdrew her arms to protect her chest, and when her breasts were no longer available for viewing, Harry came out of his trance. He just walked around her and went silently into the house. Hermione followed after she had retrieved her bikini top from the water. 

***Five days later***

The next five days passed very quickly. Hermione and Harry never spoke to each other, and generally stayed away from the other. One day, Harry broke the silence, "Hermione, I have to go. As soon as your parents get back, I'm going to fly on my _Firebolt_ and go find Dumbledore. He told me where to meet him this summer, should I ever need him. And right now, I need him and solitude." said Harry quietly.

Hermione merely nodded assent that she heard him.

(A/N) I'll try to update once every three days. I certainly hope I am at least decent at this. I didn't know writing is so much fun! BTW, I need reviews! I need criticism and support. REVIEW please… might make me update faster (cough, cough)


	3. Chapter 3

***When the Granger's got back***

When Hermione's parents returned from Majorca, Harry and Hermione both found that her grandfather had indeed died. Hermione was heartbroken and went to her room. Harry decided to go tomorrow, after he could talk to Hermione. 

It was 9:30 p.m. and Harry still heard Hermione sobbing from her room. Harry rose from his bed and went to Hermione's room. What he saw there shocked him. She was undressing, getting ready to go to bed. She was done crying, but her eyes were bloodshot. "Oh my God, she is beautiful…" thought Harry as he watched her naked.

She was almost done getting dressed when she heard something at her door. Something like a moan? Yes, it sounded like a moan. Then she saw Harry watching her from her door. Quickly, she put her pajama shirt on. He sauntered in a rather depressed sort of way. She spoke first, and spitefully, "So, did you like my little _striptease_? Or perhaps you weren't too shocked since you saw me earlier? I wouldn't know."

"Hermione, you know I would never come in on you on purpose. It was an accident. I needed to tell you something," said Harry as he tried to explain his way out of his mess.

"Well, you're certainly here now, aren't you? What do you want? Ask and be gone. I'm just a little upset as you can no doubt tell." said Hermione, who was far more than a little upset.

Determined not to let her get the best of him, not to mention that she didn't believe him about the accidental peek, Harry replied, "Now wait a minute. I didn't peek on purpose, it was an accident. I needed to see you about something and I think it's important that…"

"Yeah, whatever, you just wanted to ask me about how else my life could be ruined. I lost Ron. I lost my grandfather. And most of all, you think I am just some sort of…_showgirl_! Well that's not how it is! I think…"

Here, Harry cut her off, replying angrily, "I don't think that of you and you know it. Ron was a loss to both of us. There isn't a day I don't think about it. How I could've helped. But I couldn't have helped. Neither could you. As for your grandfather, well, frankly, how can I be at blame for that?"

"Shut up! You have no idea what it is to work hard! You could just do nothing at school and pass! Just because you're the boy-who-lived. You don't know what it is to need to work to get ahead. I've got to work, otherwise my life can only go downhill! I hate you! Go away!" screamed Hermione as more tears sobbed down her face, dripping to the ground in a steady stream.

"Hermione, I thought that you, of all people, would have enough sense to hear me out before jumping to conclusions. I just thought that I should get out of your life. Yes, you heard right. I am not a good friend. I am a nothing. But at least I know one thing. One blissful thing that keeps me going from day to day. It helps me to concentrate. It helps me in all areas of my life, because it is a part of my life. Do you know what I know?"

"Harry, you fucking bastard, don't you feel that now is the time above all times I don't feel like answering some stupid riddle? I don't give a damn!" screamed Hermione, who voice was now cracking at the edges because of all the screams.

"Hermione, I get through each and every day knowing that I was fantasizing about an impossibility. However, I hung on against all odds, and am still fighting my doubt even right now. I am sure you realize what I'm talking about?" said Harry, who talked calmly this time, but even Hermione noticed there was a splash of shyness in his voice this time.

"I don't care! Get that through your skull. You've got so many fans to listen to you, go find one of them." If anything, this angered Harry, but he tried not to let it show.

"Hermione…" said Harry, his voice trailing off. He took a step toward her, offering her his hand.

"No, just go. I don't need this. Right now, I need someone who cares, and that can't possible be you!" yelled Hermione.

"No! YOU don't understand!" said Harry, who was done with being shy and nice. "Hermione, I love you. I am just as hurt by your losses as you are. I stayed up all last night thinking of how I could tell you. I love you so much, that words can't express how I feel. And right now you're bitching me out? Don't make me laugh. You said you wanted a person who cared; well, you just lost the only one who _did_ care! Good bye Hermione." At this, Harry stalked out, and went to his room to retrieve his belongings. Hermione merely stood there before breaking out into even more tears.

Harry, having gathered all of his belongings except his _Firebolt_ (which was outside), muttered "_reducio_" and shrunk all of his things so that they fit inside of his robes pocket. He stalked off stiffly down the stairs, leaving Hermione's parents, who were on the couch, wondering what the hell had happened up in Hermione's room. He opened the glass door, grabbed his _Firebolt_ and went into the middle of the lawn to make sure he didn't hit anything when he took off.

Hermione stormed out of her house. She was furious. The only boy who had expressed his love for her was leaving when she needed him. She caught up with him as he mounted his broom. "Harry! Wait! Stop for me please. I'm sorry for how I acted."

Harry merely stared at her with a blank look on his face, which quickly changed to an expression that showed pure anger. "Well, you may be sorry for what _you_ said, but I'm not sorry one bit. I take back nothing that I've said today. I think you've acted very selfishly and I'm very disappointed in you."

With that, Harry gripped his _Firebolt_ and sped off with Hermione looking very shocked, alone, and very depressed. Hermione covered her eyes as she walked into her house, crying. 

Flying as fast as the _Firebolt_ would go, Harry's tears were wiped from his face before they could even get properly formed.

***Somewhere in England, 2 days later***

"Hello Harry. What brings you out this far?" asked an ancient figure from the doorway to the unattractive, yellow house.

"Professor sir, I wish to accept your offer to train as an auror and to continue my studies outside of the school. If that is okay with you sir." asked Harry.

"I see. Yes…all the preparations have been made. It is unfortunate that you and Ms. Granger had such an argument over something that neither of you could have prevented. Well, Sirius will be your trainer. Come on in. We've been expecting you…"

(A/N) Yes, I know this ending may want you to physically harm me in some way, but I have my reasons. They shall be made clear in due course. The more reviews, the faster I update.


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N) My grandfather died the other day, so I haven't been updating, but I'll try to get over it so I can update the story. By the way, this chapter is just background for what has happened over the six years that followed after he ran away from Hogwarts.

It had been six long and painful years for Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. He had taken up becoming an Auror after he graduated from the "specialized" schooling that he received after he had ran away from Hermione and Hogwarts. Dumbledore had Harry move in with Sirius, who taught harry everything that he would've learned in school, and more. Since Harry refused to neglect his other studies besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, he still had to make trips to Diagon Ally for all of the school supplies he would've needed, he just enacted those classes with Sirius. 

Along with regular Hogwarts training, Sirius trained Harry in Muggle ways of fighting. Poisons and short projectiles became familiar friends to Harry. With a dagger, Harry could nail a target fifty feet away. He kept a dagger in each of his boots, along with specialized dual ninja stars in the folds of his robes inside of his sleeves. Harry didn't exactly excel at physically fighting with just his bare fists, but he could hold his own, for a while.

Harry had sent Hermione only one acknowledgment that he knew she still was alive. He had sent his owl, Hedwig, to Hermione. Hedwig's eyes had watered the day he sent her, which Harry had correctly assumed to be tears. Hedwig was supposed to report immediately to Harry if anything were to happen to Hermione. He still loved her, but after their last argument, he wasn't anxious for a reunion even after all these years.

Harry's job as an Auror had somewhat put a damper on his Quidditch spirits. Harry no longer played officially, but he still practiced in whatever small amounts of spare time he had. Harry didn't really play Quidditch with as much enthusiasm as when Ron was alive. Harry felt that was when his Quidditch spirit had died. Every year, Harry stopped by Ron's grave and put an almanac on Ron's grave that had all of those years Quidditch statistics. 

Being an Auror did make Harry feel better though. His partner was Sirius, and they hid almost nothing from each other. However, even with all of Sirius' years of experience, it was quite common knowledge that Harry was easily the better Auror. In fact, Harry had surpassed Mad-Eye Moody last year as the Ministry's best Auror. He had caught over 150 Death-Eaters, which was impressive, but with Voldemort still on the loose, they were all easily replaced.

The war with Voldemort was somewhat at a standoff. No one knew where Voldemort's hideout was, but at the same time, Voldemort wouldn't (or perhaps couldn't) take over Hogwarts. The Ministry, after finally realizing the threat that Voldemort was back, sacked Cornelius Fudge (who died a day later), and made a person by the name of Seth Zerbinski, the Minister of Magic. The new Minister acted swiftly and accurately. The giants were granted pardons for their previous crimes, and were welcomed back to society. The Dementors were all driven out of Azkaban, and into the depths of the earth so deep, that even Voldemort couldn't reach them.

The only thing Harry was uncertain of was Hermione. He knew she was a teacher at Hogwarts, taking over Professor McGonagall in Transfiguration. It took Harry as a surprise. He thought she'd go for Arithmancy, but apparently not. He had pictures of her all over his room at the house that Sirius and Harry shared. She had grown even more beautiful. Her brown bushy hair was tamed so that it wasn't as free-willed as it once was, but just enough so that you thought she was carefree. Her brown eyes were lovely pools that Harry could drown in, even through just the pictures. She had filled out in the breasts, but no where else. She was now about 5' 8", and looked luscious. 

Every night, Harry would take a picture off of his walls and hold it close to his heart as he drifted off to sleep. Every night he would dream the same dream. Him and Hermione in a flowering clearing in a forest. The grass would be green, and the flowers would be bright reds, blues, and yellows. They would run towards each other, and embrace. They would gently pull slightly apart, but only enough to kiss. As their lips would touch, Harry would awaken in the morning, with tears pouring from his eyes.

(A/N) This chapter, as noted before, is only for background. I will be writing the next chapter shortly. The faster you want me to update, the more reviews I want. I like hearing what you guys think, good or bad. Thanks.


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N) Thanks for your reviews! Now on to the story.

"Sirius! Hey, where are you?" called Harry from the second floor of Sirius' huge house. Harry still can't get over the fact that even though Dumbledore is their Secret-Keeper, Voldemort would have to be really thick to not notice them. "That Fidelius Charm sure is something," Harry would think every morning, as he would get up.

"Hey sleepyhead. You know, I slave down here for hours making _your_ breakfast while you were out, sleeping beauty. You should be grateful to me," Sirius said as Harry ambled his way down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Well, you could always wake me. Besides, you haven't even been down here for ten minutes yet. Don't bother denying it."

"Anyways, you know as well as I do what would happen to me if I tried to wake you; you'd pull a Mad-Eye on me and blast me halfway into next year!" joked Sirius. 

"Where's the _Daily Prophet_ Sirius? I want to catch up on the news," said Harry, sitting at the table as Sirius levitated some eggs and orange juice over to Harry's plate. "I want to see what they thought of us last night. After all, we did catch Lucius Malfoy. And it's about bloody time too," Sirius walked and sat down. Harry immediately noticed that he was hiding something behind his back.

"Harry, you probably shouldn't read the _Daily Prophet_ today. It might not be such a good idea…" remarked Sirius, who was obviously trying to sound careless, as if it weren't important. Harry immediately noticed this.

"Oh. Okay, well if you say so." Sirius merely goggled at Harry. Harry never gave up anything without a fight. "_Accio!_" The paper zoomed out of Sirius' hand and flew into Harry's hand so quickly that Sirius thought that he still had the paper. Then he realized that Harry was reading the paper. He chuckled under his breath. Harry really was something.

"WHAT? I'm number two on the Most-Eligible-Bachelor list?! What sort of bullshit…? Wait a second… Sirius, why are you grinning like a maniac? Wait. No. You didn't." Harry merely gazed at Sirius as they ate their breakfast. "Did you?"

"I thought it would be funny, just to see how you would react. I just had to send your picture in from that one time when I caught you thinking about Hermione in those silver, silk boxers that you have. It was funnier than hell, you have to admit. I reckon that the only reason you aren't number one is because of your scar. But even that looks pretty cool," laughed Sirius. "Only one judge didn't like it, and that was Diklortia. I guess she thought that it didn't look very fetching," Harry glared at him before flipping through a few more pages.

As soon as Harry had flipped through a few more pages, he stopped for a moment. His face paled to the point that Sirius knew that something was going to scar him for life. "Sirius," said Harry in an extremely shaky voice, " you haven't read the whole paper yet, have you?"

"No. Why do you ask? What is it?" asked Sirius, more than a little worried.

"Not...Nothing," Harry stammered. Quickly he hid the paper behind his back as he sat up and backed away from the table. Or, to be more accurate, away from Sirius' prying eyes.

"Harry," said Sirius in _that_ tone. Harry knew he was in trouble and raced up the stairs. "HARRY! WHAT IS IT?" yelled Sirius as he ran up after Harry. When he reached Harry's door, he paused. The door was closed, but he could hear crying come from within. "Harry, what's wrong?" asked Sirius as he opened the door and walked in.

"Nothing Sirius, absolutely nothing…" said Harry as though he was somewhere else. Sirius thought it best to catch Harry off of his guard.

"_Accio!_" The paper flew into Sirius waiting hand as Harry continued to sob. Immediately after Sirius had scanned the page, he knew what was wrong. Plastered all over it was a picture of Harry and Hermione. It was how they had been in their fifth year. They were kissing. Harry quickly quit sobbing and went from sadness to anger so fast that Sirius thought that he had never seen him look angrier. 

"_Incendio!_" spelled Harry. His wrath had over-boiled and now the world was going to pay. He loved Hermione, but he didn't need the world to be let in on that aspect of his life too. He was comfortable with all of the praise that was accredited to him since he was an auror, but this was too much. Sirius dropped the paper as it burst into flames, which turned to ashes before it had even hit the ground. 

"Now Harry, see here… you shouldn't get so upset."

"They have no right! They are going to pay for this!" yelled Harry as he apparated away. 

"Oh dear god. They really fucked up now," thought Sirius. He considered floo-messaging to warn the _Daily Prophet_, but decided against it. Harry had a _right_ to be pissed, and if anyone got in his way, it was their death. Sirius supported Harry entirely in his anger. "I just hope that he doesn't get himself into _too_ much trouble…"

(A/N) My god! I am so sorry this update took so long! I can be such a crack-ass-monkey-whore sometimes. I was too busy with my agenda to write this chapter, but I'm working on the next one as we speak.


	6. Chapter 6

(A/N) I just want to say that, if any of you like my story, you should check out KrazyIvan and his stories. Wow! They are excellent examples of a good author. On to the story.

Harry had apparated to the wizarding capital of Europe. The same place as the headquarters of the_ Daily Prophet_. "They are going to pay" thought Harry angrily. He walked to a wizard restaurant and stepped in for a bite to eat before he went ballistic. "I am going to make them pay… Ah shit. Not now." Harry whispered to himself as a reporter came up to him.

"Mr. Potter, may I have a word with you? How are you and Ms. Granger getting along. Are you two together yet. Do you two have any plans for the future? If not, than what are your plans to get back together with her? And if you're not going after her, who are you going after?" asked the reporter rather hurriedly, as though he was trying to get the biggest story of the day.

"I tell you what, fuckhead, take this for ruining my life!" With that, Harry's wand appeared instantly in his hand, having summoned it from his robes. He performed the Full-Body-Bind curse on the reporter and slammed into a wall of the restaurant. The people were terrified, but dared not to move or scream. 

Harry flicked his wand in an off-handed sort of way. Instantly, on the table next to him there were about fifty knives. Harry put his wand in his robes and grabbed two knives, one for each hand. "Now, Mr. Reporter, lets hurt you as much as you have hurt me!" Harry threw the two knives, but as soon as they had left his hand, another two were already being thrown. Very quickly Harry counted off fifty knives as they surrounded the reporters stiff body. Every knife was so close to him that he could feel the knives' cold steel as they touched his skin. However, not one pierced his skin. Harry ran out of knives on the table so he took out the dirk from its hold inside of his robes. 

A dirk is a bit larger than a throwing-knife. It has a longer, thicker blade, and is more balanced. It weighs slightly more, so is more difficult to throw. However, Harry hefted it as though it were as light as a feather. He stood in throwing stance for a while, contemplating on where to throw for the most effect. 

Meanwhile, the people in the restaurant merely watched in sustained silence. They respected Harry Potter, and knew his position. The _Daily Prophet_ had left his mark on him and he intended revenge. The crowd supported Harry entirely, though he scared the shit out of them when he was angry like this. 

"HARRY! Don't you dare," yelled a female voice. Harry threw the dirk. However, Harry, fast as lightning, Harry withdrew his wand and trained it on the thrown dirk. It stopped as the prick of the knife touched the reporter's throat. He whimpered in fright.

Harry turned to see who had yelled at him, and immediately his concentration broke. The thoughts of murderous revenge on the _Daily Prophet_ ceased in his mind. The dirk dropped to the ground as Harry lost his concentration on it. It brought him back to reality. With a wave of his wand, the knives surrounding the reporter's body disappeared. Another wave brought the reporter back to normal. Yet another wave restored the restaurant. Satisfied that everything was fixed, Harry raised his wand straight up in the air. "_Ostentaliviate!_" 

The people in the restaurant resumed eating, the reporter merely spotted Harry again, and walked up to him again. "Mr. Potter, can I have a word with you? How…"

"NO! Goodbye," spat Harry with contempt. The reporter looked affronted, but said nothing. His memory may have been wiped of his near-death experience, but that didn't stop him from knowing that this was not a person to screw around with.

As Harry walked outside, the female that had yelled at him put a hand on his chest. He looked up into her face, and smiled. "I see you that your temper has grown. It is nice to see you again Harry," as she flung herself into his arms. 

"Hermione…we have much to talk about," whispered Harry, into her ear. "God, I love her so much…"

(A/N) This is bothering me, so I'll just state this for clarity. In one of the previous chapters, I mentioned that Hermione had only filled out in the breasts. I said that to indicate that she wasn't fat. In my mind, I picture a brunette with long curly hair, with cinnamon eyes, that is about 5' 8". Just wanted to clarify that.


	7. Chapter 7

(A/N) I just want to thank those who reviewed. 

Together, Harry and Hermione left the restaurant and took a slow walk down the street. They walked to a café in silence and sat down in some of the chairs that were stationed outside. When the waiter came to take their order, they merely asked for some peace and quiet. 

"So, Harry, besides being an auror, what have you been doing all these years? I missed you an awful lot. It practically broke my heart when you left that day. But we'll speak of that later. As for now, how are you?" Hermione said all this very fast, as though she had wanted to say it for years.

As Harry explained what he had been doing over the years, he was deep in thought. He could hardly believe what was happening. After all these years, Hermione missed him? "No," thought Harry, "this can't be happening." But it was true. In all of an instant, Hermione had accepted him again into her life. It was almost too good to be true. Harry didn't trust things like that, so he decided that perhaps he'd better be sure. 

"Hermione, why don't we apparate to the Three Broomsticks, so we can't be overheard? I don't like it out here in the open," asked Harry. Hermione nodded her head, and they both disappeared with a distinct popping noise. 

They arrived outside the pub. They entered and asked for two Butterbeers. As soon as they received their drinks, they found a pair of chairs to sit down at. Moving as one, they sat in seats opposite of each other. It reminded Harry oddly of when they both went to Hogwarts. They could practically read each other's minds.

"So, what have you been doing all this time, Hermione?" asked Harry. In truth, he was extremely curious to know if she had a boyfriend, if she had a job, what things she liked to do, and…well…pretty much everything about her. He may have pictures of her, but pictures were only pictures. They could convey only so much.

So Hermione talked about her life. Her new job as the Arithmancy teacher Hogwarts, and where she lived were things that went by nearly unnoticed by Harry. He already knew all of these things, but that wasn't what was bothering him. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her eyes. They constantly darted back and forth as she elaborated about the finer point of Arithmancy. They were enthralling eyes, but they seemed to convey some sort of suppressed message.

Harry's brow furrowed as he thought of what this meant. Hermione noticed, and immediately blushing, said, "I've been babbling, haven't I?"

"No, of course not. I'm just feeling a little weird today. All of the tension, combined with meeting someone I haven't seen in practically forever, has just weighed down on me," explained Harry somewhat simplistically. 

"Oh," she said. But Harry could see that she wasn't convinced. "Well, how about we have dinner tonight. We might be able to _resolve_ our argument that we had all those years ago," with this, she gave a short, forced laugh. "I have some stuff to do anyway, so why don't we meet in front of Honeydukes at 6 o'clock tonight?"

"Okay. Sounds great. I'll be there at six…" Harry's voice trailed off, as his mind wandered. Why didn't he just apologize all those years ago? Harry wished they could just forgive and forget, but he knew that it wouldn't be that simple.

Harry met Hermione at six in front of Honeydukes. Together they apparated to some wizard restaurant that Harry had found to have very good food. They found a seat inside, and sat. The conversation was brought around to old times in a surprisingly short amount of time. 

"Hermione," Harry blurted out all of a sudden, "I'm so sorry for the things that I've done and said. It's all been my fault! How can you ever forgive me? No. I won't even ask for forgiveness. I don't deserve it. How can I repay you for all the time we have lost?"

Hermione could see the hurt in his eyes. Those beautiful emerald eyes were starting to cry. Here was Harry, a grown man, crying! Not wishing for him to regret crying, or apologizing, she led him to the restaurant's fireplace. "Harry, is your home connected by the floo-network?" Harry merely nodded and whispered 'Marauder's Mansion' before he started with a fresh wave of tears.

Hermione flung some of the floo powder from a stand next to the fireplace and yelled, "Marauder's Mansion!" Together they stepped in, Hermione helping to walk and stand. They arrived at Harry and Sirius' home, in pitch black. It was apparent that Sirius wasn't home at the moment. Hermione led Harry up the stair as he indicated the directions to his room.

When they reached Harry's room, Hermione opened the door and led Harry to his bed. After he was sitting on the edge, she took a look around and gasped. There were muggle and wizard photographs of her all over his walls. He had seen her during the years, while she had only heard of his prowess as an auror. She was a little angry, but more importantly, she felt cared for. And feeling cared for didn't happen that much when one didn't have many friends, and less family. 

"Harry, why do you have so many pictures of me?" asked Hermione in an innocent tone.

"Because…because I…I…I still love you…" whispered Harry under his breath. But Hermione had heard him as though he had yelled it. It was as though there were millions of firecrackers going off, all at the same time. He still loved her after all this time.

"Damn it!" yelled Harry, slamming his fist against the wall. "I am very sorry you had to hear that." His voice had dropped significantly, so as to be to the point where he was whispering. "It just sort of slipped out. You never needed to know. How could I expect you to still like me after all this time of separation?" Harry looked as though he would start crying again any minute.

Hermione didn't answer him. Her mind was racing. It showed in her eyes, like a flashlight in the dark. Harry watched her hopefully, and slowly he started to yell at himself in his mind for being such an idiot.

"I'm sorry…" started Harry. But he never had time to finish. Hermione leaned down and pushed Harry onto his back. Bewildered, Harry didn't fight her, and gave no resistance to her advance. "Hermione? What are you doing?" asked Harry.

She lowered her mouth to his ear and whispered something. Whatever it was, shock was showing plain as daylight on Harry's face. Before he could respond however, she kissed him.

Surprised by her sudden onslaught, Harry's natural reactions took over. He wrapped his arms around her as he started to kiss her back. "Harry," he thought to himself, "maybe you're not such an idiot after all…" Truly, this was a night that he would remember for the rest of his life. How could he ever forget her beautiful body? Or the passion with which she kissed? Or the way her eyes gave away her love?

But as she started to take off Harry's shirt, Hermione's eyes flashed again. Harry thought in confusion and turmoil. He was trying to concentrate on her eyes, but the pleasure she gave him as she kissed his neck and chest cut off all thoughts other than love. But Harry's mind would not be defeated. He tried to remember where he had seen that sort of eye movement.

It hit Harry like a ton of bricks. The memories of his fourth year at Hogwarts flooded back. More specifically, about Professor Moody, a.k.a. Barty Crouch Jr., teaching them to fight the Imperius curse. How did he not see it before. He should have known that Hermione wouldn't move so fast in a relationship. He started to subtly move to his wand, trying not to attract her attention from what she was doing to him.

But before Harry could react to what was going on, Hermione quickly reached over to the bedside table and grabbed her wand. "Move and you die, Harry Potter!" she warned. Her wand was trained directly between his eyes.

(A/N) I am sorry it took so long to update. School has been a pain in my ass, and I really need to get my college grades up. It will be over soon. In two weeks, I should be back to updating every day. BTW, THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!!! They are most appreciated.


	8. I'm Sorry AN

(Back by popular demand, I am pleased to announce that do to overwhelming pleas, I will continue this **as** I continue my other stories. I'll try to update as often as possible. Thank you all very much for reading and caring.)

"Hermione…fight it. Fight for me. Fight for yourself. Please…" said Harry, hoping to get through to her. 

"He will reward me well for this. The Hermione you knew is gone." With this, she started laughing. Catching her off guard, he tried to do the strongest stunning spell he could wandlessly. She knocked back a few steps, but didn't lose consciousness. However, it gave Harry enough time to grab his wand. He pointed it at her. 

"Stupify!" roared Harry. He didn't want to hurt her, just detain her. Even so, it tore him apart to use offensive magic on her.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing Harry?" asked a voice from the doorway. Looking up, Harry saw Sirius. 

"Sirius, I can explain…" started Harry as he moved toward Sirius.

"Like hell you can! You get the girl you want after so long and you hurt her? What kind of sick bastard are you? Get out of my house! Now!" yelled Sirius. Harry's eyes flashed for a moment. Sirius took an unsteady step backwards. "Now Harry, let's not do anything reckless…" Clearly, Sirius thought that Harry had gone mad.

"Sirius…It's not her. It is, but it's not. I think it's Imperius. I would never do that to my Hermione and you know it…huh? What is that smell? Sirius, you're drunk!" explained Harry. 'That would account for him jumping to conclusions; usually he thinks things through more. Well, not that much more, but still…'

"So? What's your point. And for your information, I'm not drunk. I'm drunk _and _pissed off," said Sirius with a smile. 

"Sirius, God, you're a character. Here let me help." Harry pointed his wand at Sirius and muttered an incantation. Instantly, Sirius was sober.

"Oh man! I spend all that time drunk and you get me sober in an instant!" complained Sirius.

"Shut up and help me. We've got to bind her and interrogate her." Harry saw the look of shock on Sirius' face. "Gently interrogate her." With that Sirius nodded. Most of their interrogatives didn't make it out perfectly healthy, not to mention sane.

Soon, they had strapped Hermione into a chair in the kitchen. Sirius went into the living room and opened a cupboard. Inside, he found what he was looking for. Feedback potion. They put some in Hermione mouth and Harry muttered, "_Enervate!_" And with that, Hermione's first reaction was to swallow.

"Now that the potion has been administered, we should know everything about what happened while under the Imperius, and how she got to be put under it," explained Sirius.

And so, the interrogation started. Gently.

(A/N) Bam! Another chapter out of the way. Thank you my loyal reviewers! You guys mean so much to me! You have no idea.


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